initiate

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin initiātus, perfect passive participle of initiō (“begin, originate”), from initium (“a beginning”), from ineō (“go in, enter upon, begin”), from in + eō (“go”).

Pronunciation

• (verb) IPA^(key): /ɪˈnɪʃ.ɪ.eɪt/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• (noun, adjective) IPA^(key): /ɪˈnɪʃ.ɪ.ət/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ini‧ti‧ate

Noun

initiate (plural initiates)

1. A new member of an organization.
2. One who has been through a ceremony of initiation.

Translations

A new member of an organization

• Arabic: عضو جديد‎
• Bulgarian: новопосветен m (novoposveten)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 新成员

• Dutch: beginner (nl) m

• Finnish: tulokas (fi), uusi jäsen
• German: Eingeweihter m, Eingeweihte f, Initiierter m, Initiierte f
• Italian: novizio (it)

One who has been through a ceremony of initiation

• Armenian: հաղորդյալ (hałordyal), միստ (mist)
• Czech: zasvěcenec
• Dutch: ingewijde (nl) m or f
• Finnish: tulokas (fi)
• French: initié (fr)
• German: Eingeweihter m, Eingeweihte f

• Greek:

  Ancient: μύστης m (mústēs)

• Hungarian: beavatott (hu)
• Italian: iniziato (it)
• Polish: wtajemniczony m

Verb

initiate (third-person singular simple present initiates, present participle initiating, simple past and past participle initiated)

1. (transitive) To begin; to start.
   • 1859-1860, Isaac Taylor, Ultimate Civilisation

     How are changes of this sort to be initiated?

2. To instruct in the rudiments or principles; to introduce.
   • 1653-1655, Henry More, An Antidote against Atheism

     Divine Providence would only initiate and enter mankind into the useful knowledge of her, leaving the rest to employ our industry.

   • 1693, [John Locke], “§94”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], OCLC 1161614482:

     to initiate his pupil in any part of learning

3. To confer membership on; especially, to admit to a secret order with mysterious rites or ceremonies.
   • 1738-1741, William Warburton, Divine Legation of Moses demonstrated on the Principles of a Religious Deist

     The Athenians believed that he who was initiated and instructed in the mysteries would obtain celestial honour after death.

   • 1714 August 15, Joseph Addison, “WEDNESDAY, August 4, 1714 [Julian calendar]”, in The Spectator, number 576; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume VI, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, OCLC 191120697:

     He was initiated into half a dozen clubs before he was one and twenty.

4. (intransitive) To do the first act; to perform the first rite; to take the initiative.
   • 1725, Homer; [Alexander Pope], transl., “Book 3”, in The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume V, London: […] Bernard Lintot, OCLC 8736646:

     The king himself initiates to the power; Scatters with quivering hand the sacred flour, And the stream sprinkles.

Synonyms

• (to begin): commence

Antonyms

• (to begin): stop, end, cease

  • (to end temporarily) pause, halt, suspend
  • (to end incompletely) discontinue
  • (to end completely) finish, conclude, complete

Related terms

• initiable
• initial
• initials
• initialism

• initialize
• initiation
• initiative
• initiator

Translations

to begin; to start

• Bulgarian: започвам (bg) (započvam), поставям начало (postavjam načalo)
• Czech: iniciovat (cs)
• Dutch: beginnen (nl), starten (nl), aanvangen (nl), initiëren (nl)
• Finnish: käynnistää (fi), aloittaa (fi), panna alulle
• French: commencer (fr), démarrer (fr), initier (fr)
• German: beginnen (de)

• Ido: iniciar (io)
• Italian: iniziare (it)
• Japanese: 始める (ja) (hajimeru), 取り掛かる (torikakaru), 開始する (kaishi suru)
• Norwegian: sette i gang
• Russian: инициировать (ru) impf (iniciirovatʹ)
• Swedish: initiera (sv), inleda (sv), påbörja (sv), sätta igång (sv)

to instruct in the rudiments

• Bulgarian: посвещавам (bg) (posveštavam)
• Finnish: johdattaa (fi), opastaa (fi)

• German: einführen (de)
• Italian: introdurre (it)
• Polish: wtajemniczać (pl) impf, wtajemniczyć (pl) pf

to confer membership on

• Bulgarian: въвеждам (bg) (vǎveždam), лансирам (bg) (lansiram)
• Czech: zasvětit
• Finnish: vihkiä (fi)

• Greek:

  Ancient: τελίσκω (telískō)

• Italian: iniziare (it), inserire (it)
• Latin: initiō
• Swedish: uppta (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 伊始^{(please verify)} 开始 (zh), ^{(please verify)} 着手 (zh)

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} ekestigi, ^{(please verify)} iniciati

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} iniziare (it), ^{(please verify)} cominciare (it), ^{(please verify)} presentare (it)
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} initio

To do the first act

• Arabic: بَادَرَ‎ (bādara)

See also

• resume (to begin where one left off)

Adjective

initiate (comparative more initiate, superlative most initiate)

1. (obsolete) Unpractised; untried; new.
   • c. 1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene iv]:

     the initiate fear that wants hard use

2. (obsolete) Begun; commenced; introduced to, or instructed in, the rudiments; newly admitted.
   • 1741, [Edward Young], “Night the Sixth. The Infidel Reclaim’d. In Two Parts. Containing, the Nature, Proof, and Importance of Immortality. Part the First. […]”, in The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley […], OCLC 1102704913, page 6:

     To rise in science as in bliss, / Initiate in the secrets of the skies.

Further reading

• “initiate” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• initiate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• initiate at OneLook Dictionary Search

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Latin

Participle

initiāte

1. vocative masculine singular of initiātus